interview with Helmsplitter
What´s the name of your band? Our name is Helmsplitter
How was the band formed? The band started in 2008 when I (Ross, guitar) met drummer Nate Boyd. We knew instantly that we wanted to form a band
Where are all band members from?/Who does what in the band? All the members in the band live in the Midwest area of the America, more specifically we live in Iowa and Illinois. Our current lineup is Ross Mallie: guitar Jason Grevas: guitar Mike Hall: vocals Nate Boyd: drums Lyndon Ehlers : bass
What was the ambitions of the band when you started? We just wanted to make heavy music that we thought was original sounding. We wanted to play some good shows and possibly get signed and we have accomplished that.
Could you explain your music to someone that haven't heard you? Our music is mainly a mix of Black and Death metal with some Sludge thrown in as well
Where was your first gig? Our first gig was in a bar called Lumpy’s in Iowa
Where was the latest gig? The last gig was at a club called The Blackhawk Room in Illinois
Who writes your songs?/Who writes the music who writes lyrics? I write the majority of the music but it is a team effort. Especially since we added Jason on 2nd guitar. Mike writes almost all the lyrics.
Who has the best since of humor in the band? I’m not sure, but our drummer Nate has the most hysterical sounding laugh on the planet
What's good/bad with the band?/What genre do you feel you are? The good is that we are all talented and dedicated. The bad is we don’t have enough time to work on the band as much as we would like. I would say we are black and death metal with sludge elements.
Why did you pick that particular style?/What are your songs about? We didn’t really pick a style it just sort of came naturally as a result of our influences. Our songs are about the dark side of life.
Do you write your own material or mainly covers? We write all our own songs.
Have you made any albums?/If yes what are they? We have two albums: “Storms of Genocide” and “Enraptured by Suffering”
Do you have any clips on YouTube? Yes we have some clips on youtube. Type in Helmsplitter and look for the song “Aura of Suicide”
How old are you?/What got you started in music? I’m 37. I have been obsessed with music since I was a kid, it runs in my family.
At what age did you start playing? I started playing around the age of 13
Witch band is the best you´ve seen? Angelcorpse is the best band I’v ever seen.
Is it always the same songs live? No we mix up the set list quite a bit
Have you had any bigger tours from start to now? No big tours just a lot of weekend trips. We are planning on going to the east coast of America soon.
How big crowds do you usually play for? WE have played for as few as 10 people and as many as 200
What are the plans for the rest of the year? We are finishing up new material for a split album with The Communion
How do you get psyched up for a gig? I listen to music that inspires me and smoke weed
What are your goals with your music? My goals are to stay true to our influences and ourselves and to try and reach as many people as possible
When did you decide to go all in for the music? A LONG time ago…..I live for music
Is it easier to get your inspiration from older bands or from bands more modern? Personally I get more inspiration from the older bands
What are your sources of inspiration? My sources of inspiration are bands that I like and the dark side of life
What's the first step when making a new song? Our songs usually start with me coming up with a few riffs
How do you feel about the downloading of music instead of buying albums? I’m old, I prefer buying the albums I want
What would be your dreams for the band? My dream would be to be able to live off of the music financially, but that probably wont happen. I just want to make music that touches people in some way.
Besides your own music, what genres and bands do you listen to? I listen to all kinds of underground metal, the blues, classical, and classic old rock and roll
What do you hold most dear? Music, my family, my wife
What would be your greatest fears for the future? Not being able to play music, bad things happening to the people I care about.
When you are on stage, what do you fear most then? I fear muscle cramps and forgetting how the songs go haha.
Have you been part of any other projects? Yes I am in a sludge/doom band called Obsidian Hammer
What do you work with outside of the band and the music? I work with people with disabilities, I am an Occupational Therapist
What would you do if there was no music? If there was no music I would have to find some other outlet for my frustration
How important are your fans? Our fans are very important to us. We aren’t that well known but we do have some dedicated fans.
How often do you rehearse? As a band we rehearse once a week. I practice by myself a few times a week at home
Where do you rehearse? In a really crappy building in Davenport IA
Name 2 of your own songs you like at the moment? Aura of Suicide and Tearing Through Oblivion
What do you feel is the best live band you've seen? Angelcorpse
What drives a band that isn't all that famous and renowned to try to make a living on their music and to
keep playing? A love of playing music is what keeps us going.
Do you have any webpages? Yes we have a facebook page and a reverbnation page
Any pearls of wisdom for all other bands out there? Play from the heart, don’t worry about what others think
Describe your show, visually and musicallyOur shows are just the five of us playing our asses off. Nothing fancy, no gimmicks
